Lagos — A Federal High Court sitting
in Lagos, yesterday, was told that
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, did not investigate
whether former Director-General of
Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Raymond
Omatseye, stole money from a
contract awarded for the supply of 100
Blackberry phones. Testifying in the trial of the former
NIMASA boss, who EFCC re-arraigned
before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia
on an amended 27-count charge
bordering on contract scam, an EFCC
investigator, Ibrahim Ahmed, said his enquiry indicated that the phones
were actually delivered. The contract
was said to be worth N22.05million. “I did investigate whether the accused
made any financial gain from the
contract,” Ahmed said, noting that he
did not find out whether the
contractor, Anchor Offshore Services
Limited, was specially promised the contract by Omatseye. Omatseye pleaded not guilty to the
charge. He was re-arraigned because
of the transfer of the former judge,
Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako. He was charged with alleged illegal
transfer of the agency’s fund and
contract splitting estimated at over
N1.5 billion. During cross-examination by defence
counsel, Ahmed said the other
contractors, who bidded for the supply
did not make any complaints about
the Anchor enjoying any special
favours. Ahmed, who claimed NIMASA’s
governing board did not approve the
supply, added that he did not have
evidence of the non-approval. “I made a statement on December 3,
2010 when the matter was still fresh
in my mind. I did not indicate that I
asked for minutes of the meeting
where approval was given for the
purchase of the Blackberry phones. The market survey we did showed that
Blackberry was N120,000 as at 2010,
but I can’t remember the
specification. I don’t know if there are
different kinds of Blackberry phones,”
he told the court...http://www.vanguardn...t-scam-witness/